Chatbot implementation and questions you need to ask yourself
E&Y predicts that one of the effects of changes in the global economy after the COVID-19 crisis will be the acceleration of digitization. And in the area of automation of processes related to communication, chatbots are one of the most popular solutions. Therefore, there will probably be an increase in interest in this technology. Some of the companies that have so far planned such investments only in the future will face the question today: how to prepare such an implementation? Before the chatbot is implemented, it is worth completing the basic knowledge on this subject. Each change carried out within the organization requires an action plan, awareness of the goals to be achieved, and checking the opportunities that are worth taking advantage of. The basic knowledge of the technologies used by the chatbot, including artificial intelligence (e.g. machine learning), is also a great help. Below are some questions you should ask yourself before you decide to automate communication in your organization.
Which processes to choose for automation?
Chatbots and / or voicebots are implemented to streamline specific activities of processes in the organization. To begin with, the ones that are the most schematic and time-consuming are selected. It can be, for example, the process of submitting a complaint, providing information on frequently asked questions by customers (customer service), verifying leads (marketing and sales), arranging recruitment meetings or the initial selection of candidates (HR). Once you know which process to automate, you can think about the questions to ask your chatbot.
In which channels is the chatbot supposed to work?
Chatbot is a text messenger. It can be implemented on a website, in social media messengers, in a mobile application, as well as on a hotline (voicebot). The multitude of channels does not mean that you have to select one of them. Chatbot can handle several channels at the same time. It can also be implemented in parallel with the voicebot.
What effect do I want to achieve and how to account for the return on investment?
The goals that most often accompany implementations are, for example:
- 50% reduction in customer service costs,
- acceleration of the inquiry handling process by 20%,
- relieving the HR department in the recruitment processes by reducing the time devoted to initial selection,
- reducing the need to recruit new employees in the contact center.
Return on investment accounting is the stage in which each company must set its KPI. It may be the time that individual departments of the company have managed to save thanks to the implementation (including the simulation of hourly rate conversion), or the number of leads obtained / supported transactions through the conversational system. It all depends, of course, on the area of implementation and the automated process.
Which implementation and billing model should you choose?
Some vendors of conversational systems offer two implementation models: on-premise (in the customer’s infrastructure) and SaaS (software as a service), but some only stick to the SaaS model. Before deciding which model to choose, it is worth calculating the costs of both implementations, possibilities and limitations. In this, you will definitely need a conversation with the sales department of a given supplier. An additional aspect is the billing model: monthly or cost-per-interaction. In the first model, we settle with a fixed rate, e.g. monthly, while the second is more flexible because it assumes that the settlement is made on the basis of a specific use of the system. By analyzing both implementation models and billing options, the budget that would have to be allocated to such implementations is already being formed.
Chatbot implementation: what you need to know “before”?
Designating processes for automation (it is worth helping with additional workshops), estimating the initial budgets that will be allocated to these activities, selecting the billing model, considering the goals and methods for accounting for implementation effectiveness: all this is worth considering before implementation. Experienced conversational system providers also often help at these stages, so it’s worth using their knowledge and help.